Minimum wage purchasing power has eroded in 4 years: How much does the basket that cost 842 TL in 2021 cost today?

The economic crisis in Turkey continues to have profound effects, particularly on food inflation. According to a report by Sözcü, while a shopping basket consisting of 25 items cost 842 TL in March 2021, the same basket costs 8,237 TL today. During this period, the minimum wage has only increased sixfold.

The government, which makes "old Turkey-new Turkey" comparisons, ignores the decline in citizens' purchasing power compared to four years ago. In 2021, a person working for minimum wage could fill their shopping basket 4.2 times, whereas today that number has fallen to 2.6. Among the items in the basket, the highest price increase was seen in beef tenderloin. The price of a kilogram of beef tenderloin, which was 122.95 TL in 2021, has reached 1,999 TL today. Similarly, the price of biscuits increased by 1,211 percent to 29.50 TL, Turkish coffee rose by 1,193 percent to 83.45 TL, and chickpeas increased by 946.12 percent to 134.95 TL.